Archive | August, 2008

Police Raid House on Riverside Avenue in Santa Cruz, Again

Published on August 7, 2008 in Animal Rights, Education, Police

Details are quite sketchy, but on August 7th, police raided a home on the 700 block of Riverside Avenue in Santa Cruz. It is the same home that was raided on February 24, 2008. In the February raid, police assert that the home, or the people who were inside of it, were somehow connected to what they proclaim are animal rights activists that held a protest that allegedly ended with a scuffle at a UC Santa Cruz researcher’s house. The raid on August 7th was apparently carried out by at least the Department of Justice, FBI, and UCSC police.

While police removed belongings from the front house on the property, other people were loading their items into trucks parked in front of the house. The people in the back house happened to be moving out at the same time that the police decided to raid the house in the front. Apparently nobody was home at the front house during the raid. The following photos were taken at about 7pm. Read More and View Photos

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Faculty Rally at UC Santa Cruz in Support of Firebombed Colleagues

Published on August 4, 2008 in Animal Rights, Education, Police

On August 4th, at the main entrance to UC Santa Cruz, faculty members held a demonstration in support of their colleagues who were targeted with firebombs on August 2nd in what authorities are calling attacks by animal liberationists. Corporate news reporters, and their flock of more than ten white vans, were all over the scene to quickly sensationalize the story.

I spoke with numerous people to listen to their feelings, document why they chose to attend the demonstration, and in some cases to inquire about potential consequences to student privacy when organizing future events. The people I spoke with included researchers, a lecturer, professors, UCSC students, a Santa Cruz High School student that lives in faculty housing, UCSC’s Executive Communications Coordinator, Guy Lasnier, and finally with UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal. Read More and View Photos

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Bicyclists Sow Seeds and Stencils at Closed Businesses in Santa Cruz

Published on August 1, 2008 in Bicycles, Environment

On August 1st, more than a dozen bicyclists went on a “mystery ride” to tour the hallowed out remains of businesses along Soquel Ave., Water St. and Mission St. in Santa Cruz. Mystery rides, where the route is not known by most riders, are usually organized in advance by one or more bicyclists as a fun, creative and safe way to enjoy a community bike ride.

Seeds were sown after cyclists rode around the dirt lot on Ocean and Water, where a Shell station once conducted their dirty business. The next stop was on Soquel Ave. where there was once a Wienerschnitzel. At this point, the question was asked, “Who knows what these businesses have in common?” Someone stated that the businesses were related to a failing car culture, while someone else theorized that maybe the commonality was that the businesses sold hot dogs. Stencils painted onto cardboard were placed along the fence guarding the abandoned Wienerschnitzel as well as one protecting an empty car sales lot. The final stop was an out of business Shatzki gas station on Mission Street. Read More and View Photos

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